Palm-operated can opener



May 16, 1961 H. w. HALvoRsEN- PALM-OPERATED CAN OPENER Filed June 18,1959 3 United States Patent PALM-OPERATED CAN OPENER Harry W. Halvorsen,15646 Eastwood Ave., Detroit 5, Mich.

Filed June 18, 1959, Ser. No. 821,230

`1 Claim. (Cl. 30-16) This invention relates to can openers and, inparticular, to can piercers.

One object of this invention is to provide a can piercer having anarcuate locating flange and a can-piercing punch so related to oneanother that the llange rests against the rim of the can to be piercedand predetermines the exact location at which the punch will enter thecan.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing characterwhich has a palm rest above the punch for enabling the pressure forcausing the punch to pierce the can top to be exerted primarily by theusers palm, thereby enabling him to use his arm muscles and weight mosteffectively in piercing the can.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing characterwherein the palm rest protects the palm from injury either by the can,piercing punch or locating flange and also from being squeezed orpinched between any of these members.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing characterwherein the palm rest, punch and locating flange are so locatedrelatively to one another as to place the punch remote from the cheek ofthe users palm and wrist so as to enable the exertion of the maximumleverage by the user upon the punch.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing characterwherein no bead is required on the can for eiective operation of thepiercer, the piercer being usable equally well on cans with or withoutsuch beads.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following description of the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a can piercer, according to one form ofthe invention;

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section through the can piercer ofFigure 1, taken along the line 2 2 there- 1n;

Figure 3 is a left-hand end elevation of the can piercer shown in Figure1, looking in the direction of the line 3--3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a modified can piercer having a piercingpunch attached by fasteners to the palm rest;

Figure 5 is a central longitudinal section taken along the line 5-5 inFigure 4;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a further moded can piercer having apiercing punch integral with the palm Y rest and locating flange; and

Figure 7 is a central longitudinal section taken along the line 7-7 inFigure 6.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1 to 3 show apalrn-operated can piercer, generally designated 10, according to onelform of the invention as consisting generally of a punch holder 12 anda can-piercing punch 14 embedded or cast therein, the punch holder 12 inturn consisting generally of a palm rest 16 and a locating ange 1'8. Thepalm rest 16 of the punch holder 12 is conveniently made from moldedplastic, die cast metal Patented May 16, 1961 or the like. It has arelatively broad arcuate front end portion 20, the sides 22 of which areslightly concave and converge from the opposite extremities of thelocating ilange 18 toward the rearward end portion 24, the top surface26 being substantially flat. It will be evident from Figure 1 that thepalm rest 16 is approximately sector-shaped and that its arcuate frontend portion 20 subtends an angle of at least degrees from its center ofcurvature, so as to provide a sufliciently broad area for theapplication of the users palm in applying pressure. The locating ange 18is integral with and depends from the front end portion 20 and is ofarcuate shape corresponding in curvature roughly to the curvature of therim R of the top T of the can C which is to be pierced with a hole H(Figure 2). The locating ange 18 thus serves as a stop to rest againstthe rim R or side wall S of the can C, the latter being the situationwhen the can C lacks the usual bead B. The locating flange 18 preferablyhas a notch 28 (Figure 3) in line with the point 30 of the piercingpunch 14, so as to enable the point 30 to be easily cleaned.

'Ihe can-piercing punch 14 has its point 30 located on a downturnedprong 32 (Figure 2) which is integral with and depends from an elongatedapproximately rectangular base portion 34. The punch 1-4 is convenientlymade in the form of a stamping from sheet'metal, such as sheet steel,which is preferably heat-treated after stamping in order to harden theprong or tip 32 and reduce wear upon the point 30. The punch 14, thusproduced, is embedded in the punch holder 12 during the process ofmanufacture in such a manner as to produce an elongated seat 36 near thelower side 38 in which the punch base portion 34 is disposed at alocation spaced inwardly from the lower side 38. The can piercer 10 ofFigure l is conveniently produced by plastic injection molding usingconventional plastic injection molding machines with dies having diecavities configured to the shape of the punch holder 12, with provisionfor locating the punch 14 in the desired relative location therein.These machines are well-known in the plastic injection molding industryand are beyond the scope of the present invention.

The modied can piercer, generally designated 40, shown in Figures 4 and5 is similar in principle to the can piercer 10 of Figures l to 3inclusiveand similar parts are .designated with similar referencenumerals. In the can piercer 40, however, the punch holder 12 is ofsimilar shape to the punch holder 12 of Figures 1 and 2, but lacks therecess 36 because the punch 14 is separately attached to the punchholder 12. To do this, the punch 14 and punch holder 12 are drilled orotherwise perforated in alignment as at 42 and 44 respectively toreceive rivets or other suitable fasteners 46. The remainder of theconstruction is substantially the same as that shown in Figures l to 3inclusive. It will be evident, however, that the punch holder 12 ofFigure 5 may also consist of a sheet metal stamping, because the punch14 is not embedded in it as in the case of the punch 14 of Figures 1, 2and 3.

The -further modified can piercer, generally designated 50, shown inFigures 6 and 7 diiers from the can piercers 10 and 40 of Figures 1 and4 respectively in that a one-piece construction is employed rather thanthe twopiece construction of the previous forms of the invention. Inparticular, the can piercer 50 consists of a single stamping having apunch holder, generally designated 52, a substantially flat-topped palmrest 54 terminating at a broad front end portion 56 in an integralarcuate locating ange 58 and having slightly concave side edges 60converging toward the narrower rear end portion 62. Approximately in thecenter of the front end portion 56 is located an approximatelytriangular hole 64 produced by striking up the punch 66 with its point68 directed toward but spaced away from the locating flange 58. Theflange 58 and punch 66 are produced in suitable stamping dies,preferably simultaneously for achieving a low cost of production in massquantities. The can piercer 50 is preferably stamped from sheet steel,with the punch 66 subsequently heat-treated to increase its hardness andwear-resisting qualities.

In the use of the invention, of whatever form, the operator rests thepoint 30 or 68 lightly upon the top T of the can C while grasping theopposite edges 22 or 60 of the punch holder 12 or 52 in one hand andpulls it toward him until the locating flange -18 or 58 rests againstthe bead B of the can rim R, if it is provided with a bead, or otherwiseagainst the rim R of a beadless can. With the tip or point 30` or 68thus properly located, the operator brings the palm of his hand intocontact with the palm rest 1'6 or 54 and presses downward upon it,making use of the leverage and mechanical advantage gained by thefacility with which he is able to rest most of his palm upon the device.In this manner, he is enabled to exert a powerful pressure upon thepunch 14 or 16 so as to cause its point 30 or 68 to penetrate the cantop T and produce the desired hole H at the desired location relativelyto the can rim R. The relatively great breadth of the punch holder 12 or52 protects both the palm and the ngers from being pinched between thecan C and the can piercer 10, 40 or 50, so that the operator isprotected against injury of any sort.

After the can has been pierced in one location, the can piercer of thepresent invention is preferably shifted to a diametrically oppositelocation on the can top T and the operation repeated to kform a secondhole H (not shown) in the can top T to permit air to enter the can andreplace the liquid being poured out through the first hole and cause asmooth llow of liquid to occur. After the piercing has been completed,the can piercer 10, 40 or is easily cleaned by placing it under anordinary water tap in line with the notch 28 (Figure 3) which permitsthe jet stream of water to flow through the notch and clean the point 30or 68.

What I claim is:

A palm-operated can piercer comprising a can-piercing punch holderhaving an approximately sector-shaped palm rest portion having anarcuate forward end of extended width subtending an angle of at leastdegrees from its center of curvature and adapted to radially overlie thetop of the can to be pierced, said punch holder also having an arcuatestop flange portion depending from said palm rest portion at the forwardend thereof and extending substantially between the opposite extremitiesof said forward end, said arcuate stop flange portion having a radius ofcurvature approximating the expected maximum radius of the top of thewidest can top to be pierced; and a can-piercing punch having a baseportion secured to said palm rest portion and having a pointedcan-piercing portion extending downwardly from said base portion inradially-spaced relationship with said arcuate stop flange portion, saidpalm rest portion having a rearward end of narrower width than saidforward end disposed remote from said forward end and also having sideedges converging from the lateral extremities of said forward end to thelateral extremities of said rearward end.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS1,295,004 Coffman Feb. 18, 1919 1,416,577 Reller et al. May 16, 19221,670,676 Anderson May 22, 1928 2,596,892 Eckmayer May 13, 19522,703,993 Staggers Mar. 15, 1955 2,778,103 Hudson Jan. 22, 19572,865,095 Mahoney Dec. 23, 1958

